Herbivoracious - Vegetarian Recipe Blog - Easy Vegetarian Recipes, Vegetarian Cookbook, Kosher Recipes, Meatless Recipeshttp://herbivoracious.com
Vegetarian Recipe BlogSat, 21 Feb 2015 06:35:08 +0000en-UShourly147.61157-122.30406Chanterelle Tostadas – Recipehttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheVegetarianFoodie/~3/GgL-nSSZnZ8/chanterelle-tostadas-recipes.html
http://herbivoracious.com/2014/06/chanterelle-tostadas-recipes.html#commentsFri, 20 Jun 2014 17:06:03 +0000http://herbivoracious.com/?p=3884Notice anything different around here? Yep, I decided it was time to give the site a more modern look, so the textured blue background is gone in favor of lots of white space, and the navigation menu at the top stays in place so you can find your way around without so much scrolling. Let ...]]>Chanterelle Tostada

Notice anything different around here? Yep, I decided it was time to give the site a more modern look, so the textured blue background is gone in favor of lots of white space, and the navigation menu at the top stays in place so you can find your way around without so much scrolling. Let me know if you have any thoughts or feedback; I’ve definitely got some other ideas for improvements, time permitting.

These tostadas had a very simple inspiration: wildly inexpensive chanterelles. Although they grow prolifically in the Pacific Northwest, I’ve never learned how to hunt them, so I’m typically stuck paying retail when I want my fix – unless, I’m hanging around with my friend Lang, whose new book The Mushroom Hunters just came out. And retail price can easily be $20 or even $30 per pound. So I kind of freaked out when I saw them for under $10/pound at a few local markets, and snatched up several pounds. Not only were they cheap, but they are beautifully plump and dry, not the soggy or woody leftovers you sometimes see.

When you think of wild mushrooms, you might be inclined towards European dishes: pasta, risotto, omelettes and so forth. But chanterelles and other wild mushrooms are used throughout the world – we just don’t often get to see those uses when those cuisines travel to the US. Chanterelles are enjoyed from Mexico to the Himalayas and back. The only challenge is to use them in a way where their unique flavor and texture isn’t overwhelmed by the big flavors of the supporting ingredients. For that reason, I made these tostadas without any intense salsa, just a scattering of tomatoes, onions, radish and jalapeno.

Chanterelle TostadasMakes 4 small tostadas, which would be a light main course – double this if you aren’t serving much else; multiply by 1.5 if using larger tostada shellsVegetarian, vegan, gluten free and kosher

4 six-inch tostada shells (or make your own by pan-frying corn tortillas in a shallow layer of oil)

1 cup refried beans, heated and thinned with water if needed to make smooth and spreadable

2 ripe tomatoes (preferably green zebras for color, but any good tomato will do), cut into bite-sized chunks

4 radishes, cut into sixths

1 jalapeno pepper, thinly sliced

1/3 cup diced sweet onion

Fresh cilantro leaves

Maldon salt or other finishing salt

Place a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add a tablespoon or so of vegetable oil, and when it is shimmering, add the mushrooms, a pinch of salt , and a pinch of cumin and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms are tender and aromatic, about 5 minutes.

Spread the tostada shells with the refried beans.

Arrange the sauteed mushrooms, tomatoes and radishes on top of the beans.

]]>http://herbivoracious.com/2014/06/chanterelle-tostadas-recipes.html/feed8http://herbivoracious.com/2014/06/chanterelle-tostadas-recipes.htmlBeet (!) Tartare Redux – Recipehttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheVegetarianFoodie/~3/rfzYhR_Wv9w/tartare-redux-recipe.html
http://herbivoracious.com/2014/01/tartare-redux-recipe.html#commentsThu, 09 Jan 2014 00:29:33 +0000http://herbivoracious.com/?p=3992Years ago, I posted a recipe for a very simple beet tartare. Then a couple weeks ago, the ChefSteps team was working on some distinctly non-vegetarian tartares and I challenged them to upgrade my beet version. Needless to say, Ben crushed it. I had the painful chore of tasting many different versions as he dialed it ...]]>Beet tartare – no meat here

Years ago, I posted a recipe for a very simple beet tartare. Then a couple weeks ago, the ChefSteps team was working on some distinctly non-vegetarian tartares and I challenged them to upgrade my beet version. Needless to say, Ben crushed it. I had the painful chore of tasting many different versions as he dialed it in. The smoked salt is an inspired final touch.

Get the full recipe at ChefSteps. To make it vegan, replace the creme fraiche with vegan sour cream.

]]>http://herbivoracious.com/2014/01/tartare-redux-recipe.html/feed3http://herbivoracious.com/2014/01/tartare-redux-recipe.htmlAustin-Style Breakfast Tacos – Recipehttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheVegetarianFoodie/~3/wKXaU9qYjHI/austin-style-breakfast-tacos-recipe.html
http://herbivoracious.com/2013/11/austin-style-breakfast-tacos-recipe.html#commentsSun, 03 Nov 2013 18:13:36 +0000http://herbivoracious.com/?p=3915I‘ve had the good fortune to travel to Austin a couple of times in the last year or so, and it is always good fun. Like Portland, Milwaukee, or Brooklyn, it is a place where people understand that work is important, but having a beer and a bite with friends, listening to music, or just ...]]>Austin-Style Breakfast Tacos

I‘ve had the good fortune to travel to Austin a couple of times in the last year or so, and it is always good fun. Like Portland, Milwaukee, or Brooklyn, it is a place where people understand that work is important, but having a beer and a bite with friends, listening to music, or just kicking back on the front porch is just as important.

Austin might be most famous for barbeque, but breakfast tacos seem to be a close second. Ask five Austinites where to get the best breakfast tacos and you’ll get six opinions. One time I had a flight out to catch at 6 AM, and several friends got into a 15 minute discussion of where I could ask the cab driver to stop at 4:30. (I wasn’t quite that committed, but I probably should have been – the options at the airport were dismal indeed.)

Like all tacos, the ingredient choices can be flexible. There are just two key principles: use good, soft, warm corn tortillas, and don’t overfill them. A taco should be just about three bites of food, and if you are hungry, well you just need more tacos.

The version below uses refried beans, potatoes, scrambled eggs, salsa, and minced cilantro & onion. If you want to make a vegan version, try butternut squash or tofu.

Heat the tortillas either on a griddle, or by wrapping in a clean, slightly dampened towel and microwaving for about two minutes until soft.

For each taco, spread on a couple of tablespoons of refried beans, and top with 4 potato halves. Spoon in some of the scrambled eggs, then a bit of salsa and a sprinkle of cilantro and onions. Serve right away, while still hot, and pass the hot sauce at the table.

]]>http://herbivoracious.com/2013/11/austin-style-breakfast-tacos-recipe.html/feed20http://herbivoracious.com/2013/11/austin-style-breakfast-tacos-recipe.htmlPorcini, Potato, Apple – Recipehttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheVegetarianFoodie/~3/gFj2RRuqIbw/porcini-potato-apple-recipe.html
http://herbivoracious.com/2013/10/porcini-potato-apple-recipe.html#commentsTue, 22 Oct 2013 14:45:18 +0000http://herbivoracious.com/?p=3904When you have beautiful ingredients like the fresh porcini mushrooms (aka cèpes or king bolete) that I found at Pike Place Market the other day, it isn’t necessary or desirable to do much to them. In this case, all that is needed is cook them through thoroughly to concentrate the flavor and then brown their exterior, ...]]>Porcini, Potato, Apple

When you have beautiful ingredients like the fresh porcini mushrooms (aka cèpes or king bolete) that I found at Pike Place Market the other day, it isn’t necessary or desirable to do much to them. In this case, all that is needed is cook them through thoroughly to concentrate the flavor and then brown their exterior, collecting the juices to make a profoundly umami-rich broth. The crispy potatoes give way to a fluffy interior that is perfect for sopping up that broth, and the sweet crunch of apples adds color and a textural counterpoint. It is a nice change of pace from vegetarian entrees that are heavy on grains or dairy.

12 small red or fingerling potatoes, cooked as in this recipe, but without the garlic or gremolata

1 honeycrisp apple, thinly sliced on mandoline, cut into half-moons

Sweet vermouth or red wine

Maldon salt

Parsley leaves or celery leaves

If you prefer to cook sous vide, bag the whole mushrooms individually with a big pinch of salt and a drizzle of olive oil and cook at 85 C / 185 F until fully tender, about 45 minutes. Remove from the bag and reserve the juice, then brown the mushrooms with a blowtorch or broiler. Otherwise, cook as in this recipe and also reserve the juice.

Measure the amount of mushroom juice you have, and add 1/4 that amount of sweet vermouth or red wine to it. Strain. Place in your smallest saucepan and simmer over medium heat until it is slightly reduced and the alcohol taste has burned off. Season to taste with salt. (If your total juice collection is less than a cup, don’t reduce it – just reduce the wine using the microwave, and add it to whatever mushroom juice you do have.)

To serve, heat 4 bowls and make sure all ingredients are piping hot. Divide the broth among the bowls. Place 3 smashed potatoes in each bowl. Cut the mushrooms into 3 or 4 chunks each, leaving the head whole, and arrange over the potatoes. Drizzle with a bit of olive oil. Add a few slices of apple tucked in between the mushrooms pieces. Finish with a few leaves of parsley and a generous sprinkle of Maldon salt and serve immediately.

]]>http://herbivoracious.com/2013/10/porcini-potato-apple-recipe.html/feed2http://herbivoracious.com/2013/10/porcini-potato-apple-recipe.htmlRoasted Pumpkin Ice Cream – Recipehttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheVegetarianFoodie/~3/mV4EvcGNjms/roasted-pumpkin-ice-cream.html
http://herbivoracious.com/2013/10/roasted-pumpkin-ice-cream.html#commentsMon, 07 Oct 2013 13:50:29 +0000http://herbivoracious.com/?p=3897The ultimate plan for this roasted pumpkin ice cream is a plated dessert with grilled mochi, miso butterscotch, and a black sesame crumble; I haven’t finished the other components yet, but thought I would go ahead and share the ice cream recipe with you. Because it is intended for a dessert with Japanese flavors, I ...]]>Roasted Pumpkin Ice Cream

The ultimate plan for this roasted pumpkin ice cream is a plated dessert with grilled mochi, miso butterscotch, and a black sesame crumble; I haven’t finished the other components yet, but thought I would go ahead and share the ice cream recipe with you. Because it is intended for a dessert with Japanese flavors, I didn’t add any of the pumpkin pie spice flavors you might expect, and kept the pumpkin itself a bit subtle.

Although I’m calling this “roasted” pumpkin, I actually use a pressure-cooker technique cribbed from the Modernist Cuisine caramelized carrot soup. Cooking the pumpkin with a bit of baking soda increases the pH and encourages the Maillard reactions that add so much complexity to the flavor. If that doesn’t appeal to you, feel free to roast it in the oven instead (but don’t use the baking soda in that case, just roast plain pumpkin chunks.) Or if you want an even bigger shortcut, you could use plain canned pumpkin puree.

I measure the brix (sugar percentage) of the base before cooking it, and it was about 28 which is just slightly high, so next time I’d either use maybe 20 grams less sugar, or add a bit more of the pumpkin puree.

Blend all ingredients, strain, and cook sous vide for 1 hour at 85 C / 185 F. Alternatively, cook using standard custard ice cream technique. If you do go the sous vide route, you may also want to experiment with a shorter cooking time. Grant at ChefSteps told me that the hour long time brings out more of the egg yolk flavor, which is very pleasant but maybe fights with the pumpkin a little.

Cool the base, then refrigerate overnight.

Churn ice cream however you see fit – with a home ice cream maker, dry ice, liquid nitrogen, or PacoJet if you have one handy.

]]>http://herbivoracious.com/2013/10/roasted-pumpkin-ice-cream.html/feed12http://herbivoracious.com/2013/10/roasted-pumpkin-ice-cream.htmlItalian Plum Upside Down Cake – Recipehttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheVegetarianFoodie/~3/7vmU00XgvcI/italian-plum-upside-down-cake-recipe.html
http://herbivoracious.com/2013/09/italian-plum-upside-down-cake-recipe.html#commentsWed, 11 Sep 2013 04:10:05 +0000http://herbivoracious.com/?p=3872I‘m a an absolute sucker for Italian plums, to the point of being a bit heartbroken that my incredibly generous neighbors’ tree seems not to have fruited this year. Picking them warm off her tree is a highlight of late summer around here. So I was happy as could be when, on vacation, I found ...]]>Italian Plum Upside-Down Cake

I‘m a an absolute sucker for Italian plums, to the point of being a bit heartbroken that my incredibly generous neighbors’ tree seems not to have fruited this year. Picking them warm off her tree is a highlight of late summer around here. So I was happy as could be when, on vacation, I found a pile of them at a farmer’s market near Lake Chelan, and for just $1 per pound. I bought a big bag, and then was promptly disappointed when the flavor and texture wasn’t up to snuff.

Fortunately, Italian plums tend to work better when cooked than most other varieties I’ve tried. They are small, concentrated, and the pit pops out easily. I knew that if I roasted them, the textural issues would disappear and the flavor would improve. But what to do with the roasted plums? I thought about crepes with sage-roasted plums, yogurt and honey or the zabaglione with roasted plums from my cookbook, but with friends coming over for brunch the next day, an upside-down cake seemed like the perfect thing to serve with coffee and scrambled eggs.

But what to use for the cake base? I looked at lots of recipes for pineapple upside-down cake, both online and in cookbooks, and none of them felt exactly right to me. Then I remembered Clotilde’s ancient yogurt cake (where by ancient I mean 2005) and had a hunch it would fit the bill. Not too sweet, and with a texture that fits the breakfast pastry concept. Good call. I used sour cream instead of yogurt, olive oil instead of vegetable oil, and bourbon instead of rum, all in the service of matching flavors with the Italian plums, but otherwise followed her formula with great results. I suspect using some almond flour in place of part of the all-purpose flour would be fantastic too.

For the caramel that the plums bathe in, I used muscovado sugar, a richly flavored dark brown sugar that I love. If you don’t have it, any dark brown sugar will do. This produced less of a gooey caramel than you might find on a typical upside-down cake, but I rather liked it that way. You could cut into it and pick up a bite without getting too sticky. It was phenomenal dunked in black coffee the next day, too.

Gee, it looks like Martha Rose Shulman and I were on a similar page, including the olive oil! Her version looks terrific too, with some whole wheat in the cake, and pluots put on top instead of the bottom.

Italian Plum Upside Down CakeVegetarian and kosher; serves 12 as a breakfast pastry

12 Italian plums, halved and pitted

5 tablespoons butter plus additional for greasing pan

3/4 cup muscovado or other dark brown sugar

2 eggs

1 cup sour cream

1 cup sugar

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 tablespoon slivovitz or bourbon

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Preheat oven to 400 F. Arrange plums, cut side up, on baking sheet. Roast until some juices have run off and the plums are quite tender but retaining their shape, about 30 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside to cool.

Reduce oven temperature to 350 F. Butter an 8″ cake pan. If you have a springform pan, use it, and wrap the outside with aluminum foil to prevent leaks.

In a small saucepan or skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the muscovado sugar and cook for about 3 minutes. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, sour cream, sugar, olive oil, vanilla extract, and slivovitz or bourbon.

In another medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

Stir the wet ingredients into the dry. Try to get them well mixed, but don’t overwork, as it will cause your cake to be tough.

Pour the butter and brown sugar mixture into the prepared cake pan and spread around as evenly as possible. Arrange the plums, cut side down, into concentric circles around the bottom of the pan. You can use more than I show in the picture. Distribute the batter over the plums. It is a fairly thick batter, so you’ll need to gently spread it around with a spatula without disturbing the arrangement of the plums.

Place the cake pan on a baking sheet and bake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 35 – 40 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack. After about 30 minutes, you can transfer the cake to a serving platter. With a regular cake pan, work a knife around the sides, then place the platter over the top of the cake pan and quickly and confidently invert it and give the bottom a rap to unmold. If you are using a springform pan, you can just unmold it, then invert and remove the bottom to reveal the plums.

]]>http://herbivoracious.com/2013/09/italian-plum-upside-down-cake-recipe.html/feed10http://herbivoracious.com/2013/09/italian-plum-upside-down-cake-recipe.htmlThe Secret to Perfectly Roasted Green Beans – Recipehttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheVegetarianFoodie/~3/gvle_NY7QRs/perfect-pan-roasted-green-beans-recipe.html
http://herbivoracious.com/2013/09/perfect-pan-roasted-green-beans-recipe.html#commentsTue, 03 Sep 2013 13:45:10 +0000http://herbivoracious.com/?p=3861The problem with roasted green beans, whether you do them in the oven or in a hot skillet, is to get those beautiful, caramelized brown spots on the surface of most of the beans without either over- or under-cooking the insides. Run the heat too high and you’ll burn the outside before the inside is ...]]>Perfect Roasted Green Beans

The problem with roasted green beans, whether you do them in the oven or in a hot skillet, is to get those beautiful, caramelized brown spots on the surface of most of the beans without either over- or under-cooking the insides. Run the heat too high and you’ll burn the outside before the inside is done; run it too low and you’ll end up with mush.

The solution is simple, but it involves a two-step cooking process and a tool so feared, hated, and misunderstood that I’m almost afraid to whisper it’s name. Because every time I do, I get comments telling me that I’m poisoning my food, destroying the nutrients, etc. etc. But science must persevere, people. That tool is: the microwave.

Now take a deep breath. I won’t bore you with all of the facts, but let’s just hit a couple. Microwave ovens use, you guessed it, microwave radiation. Microwave radiation is not any form of nuclear radiation. It doesn’t make your food radioactive, not even a teensy little bit. It is electromagnetic radiation. You know: like light, and radio waves. A microwave oven works by exciting the water molecules in your food, which heat up and cook the surrounding material. So it is akin to steaming or boiling but with the marked advantage that food cooks inside as much as outside. Evidence is that, used correctly, it actually retains more of the nutrients in food than more conventional cooking methods.

Then there are the folks who aren’t scared of microwaves, but think they only are used for heating up desperation frozen meals. But that, again, is a misunderstanding. The biggest problem with the microwave is the same as with boiling or steaming. It makes your food tender and cooked, but since nothing goes above 212 F / 100 C, you don’t get any browning. This is where the two step cooking process comes in. We’ll use the microwave to par-cook the green beans, then finish them quickly in a wicked hot skillet. By separating the cook-through and searing steps, we get to control both aspects.

Interestingly, I know I’m not the only person who uses this method (not just for green beans – I often do it with carrots, broccoli, small potatoes, etc.), but I rarely if ever see it mentioned in cookbooks. My old friend Spike works this way a lot, I know, because we’ve exchanged several emails on the subject. Any other microwave & then sear aficionados out there?

Once you’ve got your caramelized green beans, you can either stop right there and finish them with Maldon salt and some good olive oil, or you can take them in any flavor direction you like. For example, glaze them with a bit of sherry vinegar and smoked paprika for a Spanish approach, or with lemon juice, garlic, olives and feta to head to Greece. (Stop a little early on the sear if you do this; otherwise when you add a bit of liquid they tend to overcook.) If you are making a stir-fry and don’t have a jet-sized wok burner, the same trick works – microwave the beans to nearly tender, then finish in a hot wok.

Trim your green beans. I like to remove just the stem end, but if you want to do both ends that is ok too. By the way, try doing this task with kitchen shears. I find it to be much faster than with my knife.

Preheat your largest skillet, preferably cast iron, over high heat. (Don’t do this with a non-stick pan, it isn’t safe at these temperatures.)

Rinse the green beans and leave a bit of water clinging to them. Place them in a microwave-safe bowl with a lid and microwave on high power for 1 minute, then carefully toss with tongs and return to the microwave. Repeat the covering, microwaving and tossing 1 minute or less at a time until the beans have turned a brighter shade of green, but with still have a noticeable firmness about them. In my microwave the total time is only about 2 minutes.

Leave the skillet on high heat. Add a couple of tablespoons of the vegetable oil to the skillet and immediately add the beans, using tongs so as to leave any water behind in the bowl. Add a big pinch of Kosher salt and toss the beans, then spread them out evenly in the pan. Cook, tossing only occasionally, until there are many browned spots on the beans, about 3 minutes

Transfer your beautifully caramelized green beans to a serving platter and finish with a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil and a nice scattering of sea salt.

]]>http://herbivoracious.com/2013/09/perfect-pan-roasted-green-beans-recipe.html/feed19http://herbivoracious.com/2013/09/perfect-pan-roasted-green-beans-recipe.htmlFried Pita Bread with Fava Beans and Zucchini – Recipehttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheVegetarianFoodie/~3/ID_oqDIbnHE/fried-pita-bread-with-fava-beans-and-zucchini-recipe.html
http://herbivoracious.com/2013/08/fried-pita-bread-with-fava-beans-and-zucchini-recipe.html#commentsTue, 20 Aug 2013 14:23:58 +0000http://herbivoracious.com/?p=3849Good pita bread (usually from Basson Bakery) is a staple in our house, which sometimes means we end up with a few stale loaves. I’ve gotten in the habit of tearing them into bite sized pieces, fry-toasting them in olive oil, then garnishing them with whatever is to hand for one of those late night ...]]>Fried Pita Bread with Fava Beans and Zucchini

Good pita bread (usually from Basson Bakery) is a staple in our house, which sometimes means we end up with a few stale loaves. I’ve gotten in the habit of tearing them into bite sized pieces, fry-toasting them in olive oil, then garnishing them with whatever is to hand for one of those late night snacks that an uncharitable person might call a good-sized meal.

This dish is infinitely malleable. Change the beans to chickpeas if you like, or change the vegetable to cauliflower. Heck, change the pita bread to corn tortillas and you are well on your way towards chilaquiles. Speaking of which, a fried egg on top is a completely valid option.

If you don’t have harissa on hand, let me commend Mustapha’s harissa to you. It is hot, yes, but also has a fantastic citrusy complexity to it. I use it constantly.

Heat the olive oil in, say, an 8″ skillet over medium heat. When the oil is shimmering, add the torn bread and a pinch of salt and saute, stirring occasionally, until the bread is browned in a fair number of spots. Remove to a plate.

Add a bit more oil if needed, then add the garlic and zucchini and a pinch of salt and saute, stirring occasionally, until the zucchini is browning in spots. Add the marinated olives, fava beans, harissa, and a bit of water (so it is just slightly saucy). Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until everything is hot and integrated, maybe 3 minutes. Taste and add salt as needed. Loosen with a bit more water if needed but you are about to add the bread back, and you don’t want to make it soggy.

Return the bread to the skillet and toss through. Transfer to serving bowl.

Garnish with plenty of additional good olive oil, the cherry tomatoes, parsley, and the zucchini blossoms if using.

]]>http://herbivoracious.com/2013/08/fried-pita-bread-with-fava-beans-and-zucchini-recipe.html/feed12http://herbivoracious.com/2013/08/fried-pita-bread-with-fava-beans-and-zucchini-recipe.htmlMission Chinese Food-Style Tofu with Radish and Shiso – Recipehttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheVegetarianFoodie/~3/lYKI2sypdbk/mission-chinese-style-tofu-with-radish-and-shiso-recipe.html
http://herbivoracious.com/2013/08/mission-chinese-style-tofu-with-radish-and-shiso-recipe.html#commentsMon, 05 Aug 2013 14:00:17 +0000http://herbivoracious.com/?p=3840When my wife and I were in New York for the James Beard awards a few months ago, we were wandering around the Lower East Side, and I was hungry (as usual). We turned a corner, and I spotted Mission Chinese Food’s New York outpost and I knew my life was about to get a ...]]>Mission Chinese Food-Style Tofu with Radish and Shiso

When my wife and I were in New York for the James Beard awards a few months ago, we were wandering around the Lower East Side, and I was hungry (as usual). We turned a corner, and I spotted Mission Chinese Food’s New York outpost and I knew my life was about to get a lot better. I’d eaten at Danny Bowien’s San Francisco location a year ago and had been depressed because I was by myself and could only try a couple of dishes, so stumbling into a chance to eat his food again was a happy moment indeed.

One thing that stands out on the Mission Chinese menus is that a lot of unlikely sounding dishes are marked with a * indicating that a vegetarian version is available. Sure enough, I spotted and chose the vegetarian rendition of Stir Fried Pork Jowl and Radishes with Fermented Black Bean, Shiso, and Mint. It was terrific on several levels.

First of all, it turned out to be this big amazing soupy thing – not your typical saucy stir-fry, but more like a bowl of lightly thickened, flavorful broth. Which was mostly awesome except I was eating it to go, wandering around the LES while Sarina searched for comfortable shoes. And the broth was approximately 1 million degrees. So it was kind of risky business, wearing a nice shirt and trying to scarf this down, but totally worth it because…

Second of all, it tasted amazing. I’ve rarely seen red “American” radishes cooked, but the flavor is wonderful, with just a bit more kick than cooked daikon. And I’ve certainly never had copious quantities of shiso used almost as a vegetable in a dish. That flavor is one of my all-time favorites, but I’ve usually had a leaf or two as a garnish. Briefly cooking a big handful of it doesn’t kill the flavor, it actually kind of accentuates it. Each bite was a knockout. (Shiso is available in good Asian groceries, or it is extremely easy to grow, like the mints it is closely related to.)

Today’s dish is my off-the cuff attempt to make something similar. I included a few cubes of zucchini because that was what my garden was offering, and omitted the fermented black bean paste because, well – to be honest because I hadn’t gone back and read the menu description until just now, and was recreating it from months-old taste memory. But feel free to add some.

Oh, and you should absolutely check out Danny’s book, Mission Street Food: Recipes and Ideas from an Improbable Restaurant – it is both a super cookbook, and a very fun tale of how he went from early food-cartist to rather subversive restauranteur. If you want to cook some badass, atypical-for-America Chinese food or if you’ve ever had an ambition of running a restaurant, I’d call it a must-read.

Mission Chinese Food-Style Tofu with Radish and ShisoServes 2 as a main course or 4 as part of a larger family-style mealVegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free if you use gluten-free soy sauce15 minutes

2 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1/4 cup Seitenbacher brand vegetable broth powder or similar

6 tablespoons soy sauce (use gluten-free if needed)

1 1/3 cup water

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

8 red radishes, scrubbed, trimmed, cut into bite-sized pieces

1 smallish zucchini, medium-dice

6 ounces pre-flavored and cooked extra-firm tofu, like Wildwood’s baked Teriyaki tofu – you can also use plain extra firm tofu and fry it yourself, I just happened to have this on hand and it worked well in this dish

12 whole small red chili pods – I believe they are chili de arbol in Mexican markets, or the ones you typically see in Kung Pao style dishes from a Chinese market (less if you don’t care for spicy food)

6 green onions cut into 1″ lengths

About 20 leaves of shiso

2 green onions thinly sliced for garnish

In a small bowl, whisk together the sugar, cornstarch, and vegetable broth powder. Add the soy sauce and whisk to begin to form a paste. Drizzle in the water, whisking to break up lumps. Once the lumps are dissolved, you can add the rest of the water quickly.

Heat a wok or large cast iron skillet over maximum heat. When it is smoking hot, add the oil and immediately add the radishes and zucchini. Stir-fry until they begin to color and become tender. Add the tofu and chili pods and stir-fry for about a minute, until the tofu picks up a little color.

Whisk the sauce one more time, reduce the heat of the pan to medium, and add the sauce all at once. It will sputter and boil so be careful. When it reaches a boil, you will see it start to thicken just a bit and turn glossy. Add the green onion and shiso and stir through.

Quickly, transfer to a serving bowl (or individual bowls), garnish with the green onion, and serve. Warn guests not to eat the chili pods!

]]>http://herbivoracious.com/2013/08/mission-chinese-style-tofu-with-radish-and-shiso-recipe.html/feed9http://herbivoracious.com/2013/08/mission-chinese-style-tofu-with-radish-and-shiso-recipe.htmlBaby Zucchini and Blossoms with Sofrito – Recipehttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheVegetarianFoodie/~3/qE6av3aUOgY/baby-zucchini-and-blossoms-with-sofrito-recipe.html
http://herbivoracious.com/2013/07/baby-zucchini-and-blossoms-with-sofrito-recipe.html#commentsWed, 24 Jul 2013 14:05:10 +0000http://herbivoracious.com/?p=3824Every gardener loves to lament that they get overrun with zucchini and have to resort to baking too much zucchini bread or, worse, ringing the doorbell, dashing and leaving them on people’s doorsteps. Well, let me tell you: you’re doing it wrong.

The way to avoid being overrun with zucchini is pick them when they are ...]]>

Baby Zucchini and Blossoms with Sofrito

Every gardener loves to lament that they get overrun with zucchini and have to resort to baking too much zucchini bread or, worse, ringing the doorbell, dashing and leaving them on people’s doorsteps. Well, let me tell you: you’re doing it wrong.

The way to avoid being overrun with zucchini is pick them when they are tiny and delicious. This recipe can easily use a dozen of them, along with most of the blossoms! Using up a dozen woody, pithy, flavorless giant zucchini is an unpleasant chore indeed. So get out there, grab a bunch of baby zukes and cook them up into this delicious side dish, flavored with with “cheater sofrito” that uses tomato paste to reduce the cooking time.

Hint for leftovers, should there be any: fill a bowl with pinto beans and top with the zucchini and sauce. Microwave. Top with smoked cheddar, a fried egg, and lots of cilantro and hot sauce. Yes.

Baby Zucchini and Blossoms with SofritoServes 4 as a side dish
Vegetarian, vegan, gluten free and kosher

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/2 white onion, finely diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 big pinch chili flakes

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1 tablespoon tomato paste

2 tablespoons red wine

1/2 pound baby zucchini, trimmmed; halve only if they are more than 1/2″ in diameter

Minced fresh flat-leaf parsley

6 squash blossoms, petals separated

Place the olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. When it is shimmering, add the onion, garlic, chili flakes and kosher salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion starts to brown, about 5 minutes. Add the tomato paste and reduce the heat to medium low. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the sofrito is a rust-colored paste, about 5 more minutes.

Stir in the red wine to loosen the sauce. Add the zucchini and partially cover the pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the zucchini is fully tender, about 10 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning. It may need more salt or wine.

Stir in the parsley, reserving a bit for garnish. Stir in the squash blossom petals, reserving a few petals for garnish.

To serve, transfer to a bowl and garnish with the reserved parsley and squash blossoms.